New Jersey students celebrate our yearly four-day weekend in early November. My question: do our teachers do the same? Do they, too, enjoy spending time outside of Mountain Lakes High School, waking up late, and relaxing? Or, do they spend hours at the NJEA convention in Atlantic City engaging in workshops and professional development?
In a small sample of MLHS teachers polled over the long weekend, the overwhelming majority said that they would, if given the choice, NOT attend the NJEA convention this year; a whopping 93.3% of teachers who were surveyed said they would rather enjoy the long weekend than go to the NJEA convention. When asked why, some said that they would rather use the break to decompress and grade papers; others said that the convention is not so relevant to high school educators.
One teacher said that the convention was “more geared towards elementary and middle school teachers,” while another explained that it is not relevant to some specialties. One teacher even said that the convention is only “politicking” and that very little is accomplished. Conversely, one teacher said that it is “wonderful see what other teachers are doing in their classrooms along with how they are assessing their students,” while another said that Atlantic City is an undesirable venue. One teacher added that the workshops are mediocre but the guest speakers are emphatic and inspiring.
So, you may be asking yourself, what were our teachers doing over the long weekend if they weren’t attending virtual workshops?
Well there you have it! Just like the rest of us, teachers on the whole used the long weekend to enjoy a much needed and well deserved break. But for any teachers who did attend virtually, I hope your workshops proved useful and that you enjoyed your time this year at the NJEA Convention!
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